The Physician And The Sorcerer
by MerlinSeries6
Summary: Merlin 6x02 Arthur's return signifies a new time for the united lands of Albion..
1. Chapter 1

Sunlight streamed through the open window, and sweet birdsong could be heard over the loud snoring of Gaius, former court physician- former, because at 82 years old he wasn't up to the job anymore, and his eyesight was failing him. The room was as it always was, experiments and equipment haphazardly balanced on the table amongst books and loose paper; he'd fallen asleep on a book about poisonous plants, his half-moon spectacles still perching precariously on the edge of his nose. There was a sudden, unexpected knock on the door, alarmingly loud, and he leapt up, slightly disorientated, losing his glasses completely as he scrambled around. "Yes? Who is calling at this ungodly hour?," he called aggrievedly, heading towards the door; a joking voice replied, "Oh, nobody important. Just _Merlin_!" Gaius eagerly opened the door, his happiness soaring at the sound of his ward, his _son_, who he hadn't seen properly for a long time; they embraced, the familiarity a comfort. "What happened to your robe?," he questioned- Indeed, Merlin wore no robe today, only his normal clothes, and it was a strange sight as he was so often seen wearing it. "The King requested my presence and he also requested that I didn't wear my robe, although I'm not certain why. Has the new physician been appointed yet?," Merlin replied, sitting down at the desk and picking up an apple like he'd never left- there was a worrying hole near the base, but he didn't notice. "Tis strange indeed," Gaius agreed, pouring a cup of water, "And no, not yet. The King has rejected almost every physician in Camelot."

Merlin frowned. "_Almost_?" Gaius didn't reply, but instead took a long drink; Merlin wondered who, then, would be the new physician, considering that there weren't that many to choose from anyway- perhaps from another village or town? He left Gaius to his work and set off to the castle, deciding to raise the issue with the King during their meeting.

Since Arthur's return, the castle had come back to life- the windows were flung open, the steps scrubbed clean, the servants once more bustling in and out, and around the courtyard; Queen Guinevere was often seen walking in the square, dressed brightly, face alight with happiness and contentment. Merlin hurried up the steps with a smile on his face, a strong feeling of peace filling him from the bottom up, and headed to the throne room- but it was empty, the table deserted. "Excuse me," he said to a maid in the corridor, "Do you know where the King might be?" She nodded. "The king and queen have retired to their chambers, sir." She curtseyed shyly, a faint blush creeping up her pale cheeks, and Merlin smiled. "My name is Merlin, and I am no sir. You've no need to bow to me." The maid scurried off, and Merlin's smile faltered- the attention, the respect, the admiration and awe, it was a huge burden that sometimes he wished he didn't have to bear. He was not a _sir,_ and he never would be, if he had his way, and he was really, in his mind, no better than anybody else. They were all equals, in his mind, and deserved to be treated just the same, regardless.

With a decidedly lessened mood, he approached the royal chambers and knocked on the door once, tentatively. "Enter," he heard Arthur call; the King looked tired, but healthy, skin glowing and eyes bright. "Merlin!," he said cheerily upon seeing his friend, "You're early!" Merlin smiled. "Well, you know me, sire!" He looked around- the room was decorated sumptuously in colours of deep red and maroon, and gold, the royal colours, and it was magnificent. "Where is Gwen?," he enquired; Arthur looked at the window absentmindedly as he said, "She's visiting the market with her maidservant. She'll be back soon." There was a moment of silence, during which Merlin sat at Arthur's desk, before the King turned and spoke. "Merlin..I trust you've heard the news?"

Merlin nodded. "You're looking for a new court physician?" Arthur turned to face him, and his expression was neutral. "I was wondering if you'd like to step up. Gaius trained you, I presume?"

Merlin was flabbergasted, although deep down he'd known why Arthur had called for him. His training had been sparse, although he remembered everything, and he wasn't the best at treating injuries or maladies, but his magic would surely be an advantage in this? "Would it matter if...if I used magic?" Just saying the word, in the presence of the King, made him feel slightly sick- it was the same King who had once said with certainty that all magic was _pure evil, _and mentioning his powers still seemed slightly taboo, but Arthur looked sorry, and almost guilty, when he spoke. "Merlin, I..I have seen _many_ things, things that I could never have imagined, during my time in Avalon, with the Sidhe, and I saw magic. _Magic,_ and it was only ever used for_ good._ They helped me see that it's the person, not the magic, that is evil, and I'm so, _so _sorry for everything I and my father did to your people. It was wrong, it was unjust, it was _sick._ I would be honoured to have you at court, as sorcerer and physician, although I know it's not nearly enough to repay you."

Merlin was speechless, and was close to tears- this was more than he'd ever expected, and he was overwhelmed.

Meanwhile, Gaius was busy looking for a spell book, on the very top balcony, with the intent of gifting it to Merlin , and his stool's legs were rather spindly for his weight- he pulled books out, one by one, checked the titles and pushed them back in; as he pulled the one from the middle, his stool wobbled and quickly, he got down, not wanting to have an accident. He was halfway down the steps when a strange scratching caught his attention- it sounded like a stray dog, and he ignored it, but it continued, growing more insistent until Gaius was forced to open the door; what he saw made him recoil in utter terror.


	2. Chapter 2

Merlin, although he was still slightly doubtful of his abilities, had accepted Arthur's offer and was now court Physician and sorcerer- there hadn't been a court sorcerer since the Great Purge, the last having been Gaius; he was to live at court, an arrangement which was a stark contrast to his forest home, amongst the Druids. He loved to be amongst the trees and the earth, and the animals, it was refreshing, and provided peace and time to hear his thoughts, to practice magic. Now, however, he needed to practice healing people, and there was only one person he knew that could help him with that. Merlin hurried through the square, smiling and nodding and saying hello to the many people that addressed him, feeling elated, although this dissipated quickly when he reached his destination- the place was a mess, the door hanging half off, as if it had been ransacked by Saxons, and amongst it all, in a battered heap, was Gaius, a mammoth bite mark puncturing his arm, the likes of which Merlin had never seen before, and the blood was soaking through Gaius' clothing fast; He panicked, looking around and trying to think of something, a spell to stop the bleeding. "_Ge hailige," _he tried, to no avail; tears were streaming down his face and his hands shook, but he knew that keeping calm was absolutely of the essence. "_Ic be burhale bin licsar mid bam sundorcraeftas baere ealdar ae!," _he tried desperately, the most powerful spell he knew, given to him by the Great Dragon- the wound continued to bleed, and nothing happened, so Merlin bandaged his wound as best he could, tightly, fingers barely working properly, and got him to his chambers, before returning hurriedly to the castle and addressing the King and Queen. "Gaius is wounded," he cried as he burst into the King's chambers, "I need help, I can't heal his wound, it's too deep.." Guinevere held him close as he shattered completely- the man was like a father to him, and after everything else, he couldn't contemplate losing him. It would hurt too much, it would destroy him. "Merlin," Arthur said calmly, "It's alright. It's okay, I will send people to him. Don't worry." Arthur had grown, matured, changed so much, and on the outside he showed no fear or worry, but his eyes were full of silent concern as he assessed Merlin, who was eerily quiet now.

The King accompanied two of the best known physicians to Gaius' chambers; his condition had worsened, and he was pale, grey-skinned, incoherent; one of the physicians, Perwin, unwound the blood-soaked bandage and reeled in horror. "In all my years I have never seen..._never…_"

Arthur frowned, worry showing plainly on his face now, and said, "What is it, what's wrong?"

Garwin and the second physician, Elrid, exchanged glances, both knowing what creature had caused the wound, and both knowing what the outcome would be. "Sire," Garwin said nervously, "This..tis the mark of the Grim, a beast of magical nature." He fell silent, and Elrid continued. "Its bite is fatal, sire, for it infects the victim with poison that no man, or magician, can draw out or cure. He has a day at best, judging by his condition." Arthur shook his head, thinking of Merlin, thinking of all the years of service and how much Gaius had done for them all- there had to be _something_ they could do, they couldn't just let him _die. _"There must be something, surely, you can't just _give up! _Garwin, stay here and tend him; Elrid, you will search through _every_ book here, look for _anything_ to do with the Grim, when you find something report to me at the castle. You cannot stop even for a second. I can't let him die." Arthur had a haunted expression on his face as he looked at Gaius once again, remembering with a jarring pain the death of his father; he hurried through the deserted square and back to the castle, praying that Merlin wouldn't be too hurt, wondering whether telling him or not was the right thing to do, torn and upset and everything else- when he reached his chambers, he was confused to see only Guinevere there, clearing up papers on his cluttered desk. "Where's Merlin?," he asked hurriedly, panicking; Gwen looked at him oddly. "He said he's going to see the Dragon."

"_O drakon, e mala sol ftengometh tesd'hup anankes! Erkheo!_"

Merlin was desperate- he'd not been able to stand by and wait, helplessly, whilst Gaius' condition worsened; it was something he wasn't used to, something that unnerved him, for with his magic he'd never truly felt helpless, he'd always been able to do something to save the day, but now he needed help, and there was only one person who could give it to him.

The Dragon came swooping into the clearing, magnificent as always, and landed on the ground at Merlin's feet, great head bowed. "You summoned me, Emrys. I can only assume that the matter is of great importance." Merlin, voice shaking, began to speak. "Gaius has been attacked, and I-", he started, but the Dragon cut in, voice snake-like. "Gaius is old. His time would have ended soon enough, and I suggest that you let him die, for there is no reason for him to remain upon this earth." Anger flooded Merlin's veins, boiling his blood, and he shouted up at his kin, unwilling to let an innocent man die without at least trying to save him first. "I will not stand by and let him die, not without trying to save him first! There has to be something I can do!" The Dragon hissed angrily. "Merlin! You cannot save this man!"

"I can _try! _And if you don't help me I will _command you to."_ Smoke furled dangerously from the Dragon's nostrils and he let out a cry of utter outrage. "How _dare_ you! Time and again you have abused your powers over me- let this be the last, or I shall make you very sorry."

Merlin scrubbed his face, trying to force the tears that threatened to spill go away- talking to the Dragon, commanding him, was a great strain on him emotionally, and he was always wrung out afterwards, more tired than he thought it was possible to humanly feel. "Gaius has been bitten by a creature of which I know not. My magic will not heal him," he continued from the interruption; The Dragon looked almost solemn. "If even your magic will not heal him, I fear there is nothing to be done. What creature was it that savaged him so viciously?" Merlin couldn't answer, he did not know. "I am unsure. I did not recognize the bite marks." The Dragon huffed impatiently. "Well I suggest you find out, and fast!" Merlin nodded once. "I will not rest until I do. Thank you, Dragon, for your help." They parted ways, and Merlin returned to the castle with renewed faith and determined to find a cure for Gaius' wound.

Elrid, although efficient and hard-working, was struggling to find anything pertaining to the Grim in any of Gaius' books or papers, and he was going as fast as he could; Garwin was mopping the old man's fevered brow with a damp cloth, and feeding him water, but he was growing ever worse; the King was consorting with the Queen when Merlin returned and burst into their chambers, flustered, and looking wild.


	3. Chapter 3

"S-sire," Elrid stuttered nervously, cowering in Arthur's shadow, "I am afraid that..t-that there is nothing that I can find pertaining to the Grim, in _any_ of this. And Garwin reports that the old man is worsening, he barely draws breath." Arthur's face creased, and he stormed back out to his waiting Queen, anger and guilt building up- he somehow felt like this was his doing, but he couldn't see how, or why, that would be the case. Guinevere smoothed his hair back lovingly, gazing into her husband's eyes like she was searching his soul, and said softly, "It will be alright, Arthur. You must have faith." He smiled then, eyes creasing at the edges, and placed his own hand over hers, their love, their marriage stronger than it had ever been.

Merlin was back with Kilgharrah, in the clearing, telling him about the Grim, although he was still behaving rather petulantly. "The Grim is an omen of death, Merlin. It is only _seen_ by those who are soon to die, and once the mark has been made there is nothing you, or _anybody else _can do." In spite of his harshly true words, the Dragon's eyes conveyed what seemed to be sympathy as he watched Merlin, who was shaking his head. "There is nothing _I_ can do. There must be something _you_ can do, Dragon, for your power far exceeds that of mine and men. The Grim is a creature born of magic, as are you." The Dragon huffed, and a tiny whirl of smoke escaped his nose as he spoke. "Even _I _do not have power over life and death, Merlin, as you know well. I am sorry that you will lose yet another friend, but rest assured that you will always have me at your disposal, if it is any consolation." Merlin's eyes were a solid gold as he roared furiously at the Dragon's retreating form- the ground itself shook ferociously, and the trees shuddered as if caught in a heavy wind; The tumultuous roar eventually petered out, and the warlock fell down, sobbing, his breaths constricted, as the reality of the situation hit him- Gaius, his mentor, friend and, for the most part, _father,_ was going to die, and there was nothing he nor anybody else could do about it.

That evening, the King and Queen held a gathering at court, in respect of Gaius, with many lit candles; Merlin didn't attend, for he was at the man's bedside, mopping his fevered brow and feeding him water whenever he could get it in, but it was doing no good, and even though he didn't want to, Merlin could see it clearly. Inside, he felt like a wreck, but he knew that death was an eventuality that he would have to get used to, no matter how much it hurt him, because nobody lived forever. The two physicians who had come at Arthur's request had been dismissed, and his work was left where it had been; Merlin wondered what would happen to all of it upon Gaius' death. He didn't think that he could stay there, keeping it all in check, cleaning up, in the shadow of what was once the place he called home. It had been so many years since he'd first travelled from Ealdor at the request of Hunith, and he remembered their first meeting- Gaius had hardly changed since then, but he'd been a great teacher, and Merlin had learnt almost everything he knew about magic from him, and about life, and everything else. The old man coughed, and his eyes flickered open, a dull shade compared to their once-vibrant blue; he turned his head gently and locked eyes with Merlin, who was already close to tears. "Mer…," he whispered, _"Mer…"_ Merlin swallowed, and managed to say, "Don't...it's alright.." There was so much that he wanted desperately to say, to make known, but the words wouldn't come and they stuck on his tongue, like the tears which stuck to his wet lashes. _"My son," _he rasped, _"You're not the boy I used to...you're a fine man. You've made me so proud…" _It took all of Gaius' strength to speak, and his breaths were raspy; Merlin held his hand tightly, forcing back the anguish that battled to flood out of him, and said one final thing. "You are the greatest man I have ever met, Gaius. Even those for who..w-who did not deserve your pity, your help, you ensured they received it anyway; You took me in; you taught me to use my magic for _good. _I will remember you always, Gaius.." The old man gently squeezed Merlin's hand, and whispered _"Merlin", _before he took his last shuddery breath and the hand that Merlin held fell slack; The sorcerer cried openly, grievingly, trying and failing to contain the storm that was raging inside of his heart; At the castle, King Arthur and his Queen held a respectful silence, heads bowed, almost sensing that the time had come and mourning the loss of one who was truly a legend in the land of Camelot, one who would live on for many years to come.


End file.
